Why 'Bolt' Is A Really Terrible Name For Chevy's Electric Car

Monday morning, General Motors CEO Mary Barra is expected to unveil a new battery-electric concept car at the Detroit Auto Show.

It's the first look at a future production vehicle with a projected 200 miles of electric range, at a price said to be around $30,000.

Assuming the leaked stories are correct, the concept is called the Chevrolet Bolt.

And that's just an incredibly bad name for Chevy to use.

DON'T MISS: BREAKING: Chevrolet 'Bolt' Concept 200-Mile Electric Car To Target Tesla

We can understand why GM's marketers would want to allude to the Volt in naming a new, all-electric model.

The Volt has the highest customer satisfaction of any vehicle GM has ever sold, and a sterling reputation for advanced technology and battery durability.

But "Bolt" is still a really, really bad name for the production car that we'll likely see during 2017.

Why? Those of us who have surnames starting with "V"--including this editor--are deeply familiar with the inability of many people to distinguish between "V" sounds and "B" sounds.

To say that there will be a great deal of confusion at dealerships between the Chevy Bolt and the Chevy Volt would be a gross understatement.

And that's not even starting to address the issue of, ummmmm, bolt jokes.

ALSO SEE: GM Developing Tesla Model E Rival: 200-Mile, $30,000 Electric Car? (Sep 2013)

Discussions among startled and incredulous members of the auto industry circulated through Detroit and the media diaspora all of yesterday.

Social media overflowed with one-liners about the rumored new model name.